Super Bowl 2013: 49ers' Colin Kaepernick armed with special talent

NEW ORLEANS -- Colin Kaepernick is being hailed as the new standard bearer for his position, with a Super Bowl appearance, a quarterback rushing record, his likeness plastered on the walls of New Orleans buildings and his invention of the hottest trend since Tebowing.

But the 49ers quarterback's most unlikely feat might be the fear he instills in his own receivers daily at practice.

"Guys go to the back of the line when it's Kaepernick's time (to throw)," Michael Crabtree admitted. "It's a lot of heat coming."

Kaepernick's rocket arm will be on full display Sunday at the Superdome, but he might have been bringing his fastball on an entirely different playing field this month if the Chicago Cubs had gotten their wish. The Cubs drafted Kaepernick in the 43rd round of the 2009 Major League Baseball draft despite having never seen him throw a baseball.

San Francisco 49ers' starting quarterback Colin Kaepernick (7) passes against the Atlanta Falcons in the third quarter of the NFC Championship game, on Sunday, Jan. 20, 2013, at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta. The Niners won 28-24. (Patrick Tehan/Bay Area News Group)

While watching Kaepernick play football for the University of Nevada, longtime Cubs scout Sam Hughes saw many of the attributes that he looks for in starting pitchers: athleticism, a long, loose throwing motion, competitiveness, accuracy and, of course, that velocity.

Randy Moss learned about it the hard way. Moss has played with Brett Favre and Tom Brady, but the only throw-related injury of his 14-year career occurred in Kaepernick's first start earlier this season, when a laser from the second-year quarterback caused a dislocated finger.

"Man, I've never experienced that," Moss said.

What exactly is the Kaepernick Experience like?

"Have you ever stood 20 yards in front of someone and had him throw a baseball at you full speed?" tight end Vernon Davis asked, laughing.

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Kaepernick could be standing 60 feet, 6 inches (or just about 20 yards) from a plate this week, preparing to make that exact throw at spring training.

Intrigued by Kaepernick's upside -- and bolstered by knowledge from NFL contacts that Kaepernick likely would end up being just a late-round NFL pick -- Hughes started digging around to see if Kaepernick had any pitching experience. What he found was further proof the football star was worth an MLB draft pick.

Kaepernick starred in three sports at John H. Pitman High in Turlock and had gone 11-2 with a 1.27 ERA and two no-hitters as a senior right-hander on the baseball team. The then 6-foot-4, 180-pound Kaepernick had a seemingly bright future on the diamond, but ...

"If I got a football scholarship," Kaepernick said of the decision, "I was going to be a football player."

Years later, Hughes hoped to change his mind. When looking at Kaepernick's traits and reports that he was clocked at 90 mph in high school, Hughes for the first time in his 15-year career recommended drafting a player whom he had never actually seen play baseball.

"It was completely unique," Hughes said. "We take pride in every one of our picks, and Colin was no exception. We thought it was low risk and very high reward."

The Cubs had success turning Notre Dame wide receiver Jeff Samardzija into a big league starter and thought Kaepernick could come in with a low 90s fastball (he had put on more than 40 pounds since high school) and develop from there. Instead, Kaepernick developed into a top NFL prospect with one of the strongest arms in recent league memory.

"The velocity is exceptional," said ESPN analyst and former Super Bowl-winning quarterback Trent Dilfer. "If you had a table of the strongest arms in the NFL, he would be at that table. He's one of the better guys when it comes to arm talent."

Asked about his velocity, Kaepernick prefers to speak softly and carry a big arm. But his teammates don't hold back when trying to explain how Kaepernick is simply different.

Wide receiver Chad Hall, a former Philadelphia Eagle, says Kaepernick and Michael Vick are the only two quarterbacks he has heard of who lead teammates to complain about catching their passes. Third-string quarterback Scott Tolzien frequently warms up with Kaepernick and said he feels it's "not humanly possible with Colin" to play with him without wearing gloves, something the 49ers defensive backs have learned the hard way when facing Kaepernick in practice.

To break through, however, Kaepernick had to learn to ease back a bit. Whether it's football or baseball, the throw with the most velocity is rarely the most accurate, and Kaepernick had a reputation in college for not being able to control his arm at times. That hasn't been an issue since Kaepernick was named a starter. According to ESPN Stats and Information, Kaepernick is the league's most accurate passer on throws more than 20 yards downfield.

"That's been the most impressive thing," former NFL MVP Kurt Warner said. "What separates the good ones from the great ones is the ability to put those mid-range and deep throws on the money. That's what's gotten him here."

Appropriately, it has gotten Kaepernick here faster than anybody could have seen coming.